Negociant Pinot Noir 2012

This is the only wine I make under the Eponymous umbrella
with a different brand because it is a partnership with a good friend, Jeff
Lenamon, who enjoys a good bottle of Pinot Noir as much as I. As a winemaker for over 30 years and having
helped make some exceptional Pinot’s, I had been looking for just the right
sight for Pinot grapes. Largely due to
Jeff, we stumbled upon a wonderful vineyard in Anderson Valley which I have
long thought of as one of the 2 best areas in California for making top Pinot
Noirs.

The name Negociant alludes to the long, successful search
and discovery of a few great vineyards that has finally allowed us to make a
Pinot of which we can be truly proud.

The bright aromas immediately please with both good
intensity and complexity, hinting of red berry fruit, cherries, sage and a
clean earthiness. The flavors follow in this varietally appropriate medium
bodied wine that has elegant balance and structure with wonderful integration
of flavors from entry through the long supple finish.

The 2012 harvest was marked by a long growing season,
allowing for long hang time which along with moderate heat aided in even maturation. There was an absence of any cool wet
weather. This even, slow maturation
produced balanced morphologically ripe fruit at moderate sugar levels.